Jul. 5—Several local women voters recently shared their thoughts on the upcoming presidential election.

Heather Mumma, 52, of Effingham voted for former U.S. President Donald Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, but in a recent interview, she said she has “no idea” which presidential candidate she will vote for in November.

In addition to Trump’s recent legal troubles, which include his New York conviction on state charges, Mumma has become increasingly concerned that Trump displays a “lack of respect” and uses a tone of “disparagement” when speaking publicly, particularity regarding women.

“I don’t think we have a quality choice, especially for women, just based on his past history,” Mumma said. “I still voted for him back in the day. It didn’t make me feel good, but I felt at the time he was the right choice. But now, having been convicted of these felonies, I really question it.”

While she’s somewhat critical of Trump, Mumma likes that he reduced taxes and supported incentives for small businesses like her own during his presidency. Mumma owned a general contracting modular home dealership at the time.

“I think he had some good policies, and I know for sure that he did help my small business,” Mumma said. “He did what he said regarding that.”

The ages of the two presidential candidates aren’t much of a concern for Mumma, but she said she’s becoming increasingly worried that Biden is unfit for office.

“Age brings wisdom. That’s not my issue,” she said. “I feel that his mental capacity and his health are severely declining at a steady rate. When it comes right down to it, I really cannot vote for him in good conscience.”

In the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court, which Trump has taken credit for, states like Texas have adopted laws restricting abortion rights for women. Mumma has somewhat mixed views on these recent challenges to reproductive rights.

“It used to be a very critical point with me,” Mumma said. “I wish some of these laws were thought through a little bit more because some of them are coming into place right after we see changes. I think there’s portions of it that I agree with, a very small percentage.”

Mumma said mental soundness is one of the things that she’s looking for the most in the presidential candidates, and she would like to see a candidate that is willing to work to close the pay gap between men and women if elected.

“We’re still not there,” she said. “That is one thing I think I would like to see the president change.”

When asked which candidate she would vote for if she had to vote now, Mumma said she doesn’t feel “comfortable” doing so, citing both the current political climate and some of the criticism she faced as a member of the county board.

Vanessa Caton, 69, of Effingham is a Republican, but she said Trump should “absolutely not” have been chosen as the lead presidential candidate for the party. Caton is a member of Effingham Women of Today.

“He never was the right candidate for the party,” Caton said.

Although she thinks the early days of Trump’s presidency were decent, Caton believes his ego and the heavy criticism he received from Democrats throughout his term caused him to go “off the deep end.”

“It was right before COVID, so everything was doing well. He was trying to handle the border,” Caton said. “They didn’t really back him up.

“I think that was kind of the turning point. Then he just shifted into ninth grade grammar and calling people names, and it just got worse and worse and worse.”

Caton doesn’t think that Biden merits reelection due to his performance during his first term and the fact that he would be 86-years-old at the end of a second term. She also said that Biden has failed to prevent illegal crossings at the United States’ southern border.

“I’ve never felt he did a really good job, and the first thing he did as president was grin about taking down part of the wall,” Caton said regarding the United States’ border wall. “And now, he looks like a doddering old fool when he’s on stage or when he’s talking to people, so it’s a little frightening.

“My 87-year-old mother is more on the ball than this man.”

Like Mumma, the abolition of Roe v. Wade isn’t going to have much, if any, of an impact on how Caton votes in the election, but she said she’s not happy with the Supreme Court’s decision, citing her concern about states enacting their own laws regarding reproductive rights for women.

“I totally disagree with what has happened.” Caton said. “They should have left Roe v. Wade alone and maybe gone back to its roots. And even Trump is backpedaling now on that one.”

Immigration and the economy are some of the top issues for Caton heading into the election, but she said what she will be looking for the most in the two leading presidential candidates is respect, something that she thinks has been lacking within politics since the 2016 election.

“I think Trump really led the ball on that,” she said. “Trump has no respect for anybody but himself. He doesn’t respect his voters, and he doesn’t respect other national heads.

“We’re the laughing stock of the world.”

Ultimately, Caton doesn’t believe that there is a single good presidential candidate to vote for in November, but she said that if she had to vote now, she would vote for Biden.

“The American voters are screwed this year to be quite honest,” she said. “There are so many other good people out there who are qualified, so this is just a sad part of history, I think, for us. And I just hope our democracy can survive it.

“I can’t vote for a criminal.”

Karen Luchtefeld, 72, of Effingham is a Democrat, and she said that her view of Trump has only worsened since he left office in 2021, primarily because of his recent felony charges in the New York hush money trial and his other “illegal shenanigans.” Luchtefeld is a former member of the Effingham County Board.

Luchtefeld said she will be voting for Biden in November, and she thinks that the actions he has taken since he took office warrant his reelection, citing, among other things, his support for a ban on assault weapons in the wake of numerous mass shootings.

“He has made it so that I’m not afraid to go to sleep at night, and that when I wake up in the morning that we’ll all still be here,” she said. “He has increased jobs. There’s some inflation, but I think it’s improved.”

“He has women’s best interests. He’s concerned about that, and he’s concerned about the gun issue.”

Unlike Mumma and Caton, Luchtefeld said that the overturning of Roe v. Wade and recent efforts to stifle reproductive rights for women in states like Texas will significantly impact how she votes in the election. Some new state laws have forced women to seek abortion services in other states than their own.

“It will impact my vote because I want to have that return, and I want to have my government representatives with that same feeling and knowledge,” she said regarding Roe v. Wade. “Now, in a lot of places, it’s hard to get, and they have to travel. And I just think women’s health is important.”

“I think the Supreme Court didn’t do a very good thing when they decided to stop that.”

Other top issues for Luchtefeld heading into the election include women’s rights, gun safety and immigration. She explained that she believes that immigrants seeking legal passage into the U.S. should be allowed to enter.

Nick Taylor can be reached at nick.taylor@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at 618-510-9226 or 217-347-7151 ext. 300132.